Rafael Nadal launches new brand of lifestyle hotels in Spain, plans to expand to Asia, America, Europe and Middle East in future

Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal recently launched a chain of lifestyle hotels named Zel, in partnership with Gabriel Escarrer, CEO of Meliá Hotels International. The project's first venue will open in Mallorca, Spain in 2023 and will later travel to Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and America.

Reflecting on partnering up with the tennis legend, Escarrer said that with his rich experience and the Spaniard's leadership, the chain of hotels will make people fall in love with their brand.

"The result of adding the inspiring leadership of Rafa Nadal and the international experience of more than 65 years in the creation of luxury hotels and the hotel management of Meliá, materializes today in the design of a unique brand, which the traveler will fall in love and surprise the new generations," he said.

The entrepreneur sang Nadal's praises as he expressed his excitement about collaborating with a global icon like the 22-time Grand Slam champion.

"An innovative hotel brand, full of energy, with a new interpretation of well-being and a model of sustainability. We are happy to finally be able to collaborate, as partners in this project, with an icon on a personal and sporting level such as Rafa," Escarrer added.

The joint venture will focus on utilizing the Mediterranean flavor as its key feature. With the help of strategic partners, the project has plans to foray into different fields such as gastronomy, decoration, well-being, and technology.

The initial plan for the expansion of the project includes opening 20 hotels in 5 years in the same places where Meliá Hotels International is currently present: Europe, America, the Middle East and Asia.

Zel hotel guests will be able to care for their "body and soul" through well-being experiences that they can customise: group or individual activities for physical training and fitness.

"Zel is synonymous with feeling good at all times, enjoying life and the way we live it throughout the Mediterranean" - Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal during the 2022 Men's Australian Open

The Mallorca-born superstar is no stranger to lucrative business ventures. Over the years, Nadal has successfully invested in and launched several projects, including restaurants, sports centers, and real estate ventures.

The southpaw said that through the Zel hotels, travelers will enjoy life the way that people in the Mediterranean do. He was confident about the success of his latest business venture.

"The launch of our hotel brand is a project that, as a Spaniard, a Mallorcan and as a traveler around the world, I have had in mind. Zel is synonymous with feeling good at all times, enjoying life and the way we live it throughout the Mediterranean. From the first moment I was attracted to this new concept that we have been developing together with Meliá. I am confident that Zel will be a story of success and growth and that it will be enjoyed by all who go to the hotels, which in the end is the reason for its creation," Nadal said.